SB 938: Peace officers: qualifications.

Existing law contains numerous provisions governing the qualifications, standards, and training of peace officers. Existing law specifies circumstances that disqualify a person from holding office or being employed as a peace officer, including, among other things, having been convicted of a felony.

This bill would disqualify a person from being a peace officer if they were previously employed as a sworn law enforcement officer by a federal agency engaged in immigration enforcement and personally assisted with immigration enforcement, as defined, after January 20, 2025, except as specified. The bill would authorize a person to apply for eligibility as a peace officer only after a minimum cooling-off period of 10 years from the date of separation from prior the federal immigration enforcement agency. To the extent this bill would impose additional duties on local law enforcement agencies, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore, apply to all cities, including charter cities.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.